Monica Gragg

Educator, Hospitality, Events & Tourism

Monica is an imaginative, dynamic person who has so far experienced an exciting career in hospitality & tourism management and adult education.

Monica found she had a talent in hospitality as a college student when she dabbled in restaurants and hotels and managed a sports bar in rural South Carolina. She enhanced her enthusiasm for tourism when she sailed around the world on cruise ships as an Event and Entertainment Manager.

In 2009, she decided to share her passion for service and travel by becoming an educator. Monica has taught in China, Japan and Australia in various courses including event management, MICE, human resources, bar & beverage management, organizational behavior and intro to hospitality. Monica has provided corporate training in leadership & management, brainstorming and teambuilding. She also teaches online in a faculty development program.

For two years, Monica managed an event degree program at a leading hospitality school in Australia. Her main role was ensuring that students were industry-ready by the time they graduated. Although Monica is a full time educator, she remains current in the industry. Monica has led and worked on several TED events. Monica was responsible for recruiting and managing 150+ volunteers at TEDxSydney, which is held in the Sydney Opera House catering to 2,400 people.. In the past year, she held a leadership role for a cultural festival that attracts 30,000 annually and an ultra marathon in Blue Mountains Australia. She also made time to plan a traditional Chinese wedding with Australian highlights for 130 guests and supervise several fundraising events including a golf tournament, Zumbathon, Brazilian Nights and art exhibitions.

Monica has that quality “It” factor that is highly sought after in the event management and tourism industry.